Short-priced favourites in the two feature races ensure Joao Moreira is top pick in Sunday's Jockey Challenge at Sha Tin, but better value may be found shopping elsewhere - and backing Zac Purton - on an otherwise wide-open day.

Take the mysteries of Stonehenge, the Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot combined and you don’t come close to the head-scratcher that is leading jockey Zac Purton essentially not riding for the three major stables in town.

Joao Moreira believes leader Zac Purton is the most likely winner of the Jockeys' Championship, even after a four-timer at Sha Tin took him to within nine wins of his rival at the halfway mark of the season.

Saturday at Sha Tin marks the halfway point of the season, but it already feels as though there have been enough highlights to fill up two seasons. Let’s go through the best rides, training efforts and individual horse performances of the first half of this term.

The fat lady hasn't sung but there was the scrape of a chair and a clearing of the throat at Sha Tin as she stood up in readiness after Douglas Whyte's treble set Zac Purton an unreasonable task to catch him in the final seven meetings of the jockeys' championship.

Douglas Whyte still won't talk about his season-long duel for the jockeys' championship with Zac Purton, but his trademark fist-pump as he crossed the line on Flagship Shine in the last said it all - the 12-time champ is back - and he has a 13th straight title firmly in his sights.

If anyone thought or even hoped that yesterday's Sha Tin meeting was going to shed some fresh light on the jockey or trainer championships, then they left thoroughly disappointed with what was nearly a contender-free zone.

No sooner had Dennis Yip Chor-hong strode three wins clear of reigning champion John Size in the trainers' title race at Sha Tin yesterday, then he declared his priority for his horses' future over winning his first championship.